Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

EU leaders finally approve coronavirus stimulus package after Hungary and Poland lift their veto

EU leaders finally approve coronavirus stimulus package after Hungary and Poland lift their veto

The latest European impasse over a much-needed stimulus package has finally been overcome, meaning cash-strapped countries will soon get access to a historic level of funding.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, European nations agreed in July to raise 750 billion euros ($908 billion) from public markets and use that money to support the economic recovery across the 27-member region. This was a significant move and came on top of 1.074 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) to be spent between 2021 and 2027.

However, the implementation of this agreement had been at risk after Hungary and Poland vetoed linking the disbursements of the funds with compliance of European values — also known as the rule of law mechanism. Both nations have been under investigation for years for allegedly influencing the appointment of top judges and discouraging press freedom — actions that go against European law.

After “long negotiations” over the last few weeks, the 27 EU countries agreed to go ahead with this link, but with a caveat: The two countries will be able to ask for an opinion from the European Court of Justice, the EU’s judicial body, so this institution can rule on whether making the disbursements conditional on the rule of law respects the European treaties.

However, it is likely that it will take more than a year for the ECJ to give its opinion, meaning that the two countries are left off the hook in the meantime. This is particularly relevant for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces elections in 2022.

The compromise sounds complex but it allows the EU to go ahead with making funds available quickly, while also keeping them conditional on this respect for European values — even if the latter is only likely to kick in at a later stage.


Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the compromise allowed the EU to “avoid arbitrary and political motivated decisions.”

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the deal was a “victory of common sense.”

However, the deal has raised some doubts about its legality and effectiveness.

“You cannot save the Rule of Law by breaking the law,” Guy Verhofstad, a European lawmaker, said on Twitter.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament have to approve the compromise before it becomes official practice.

“Hungary/Poland lift their veto on EU budget, after being reassured that new Rule of Law mechanism won’t be applied to them until a judgment of ECJ will define ‘methodology’ to be applied. This is not only unprecedented, but also legally questionable,” Alberto Alemanno, professor of European law at H.E.C. Business School in Paris, said on Twitter on Thursday.

There are also doubts about when the link between the funds and the rule of law would actually kick in.

Different member states and lawmakers want sanctions to be applied retroactively from January 2021, which could hurt Hungary and Poland for their ongoing standoff with the European Commission over alleged breaches of European law.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×